


Unintended Consequences

by Islair



Category: The Emperor's Edge Series - Lindsay Buroker
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, I've given Sargeant Paloic a name and family, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-09
Updated: 2019-07-09
Packaged: 2020-06-25 13:16:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19746517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Islair/pseuds/Islair
Summary: Captain Starcrest recommends his trusted subordinate for promotion.





	Unintended Consequences

-= Part 1: Captain Starcrest and Sargeant Paloic =-

Captain Sashka Federias Starcrest surveyed the deck of his ship for the last time. Most of the crew had already left, taking advantage of shore leave to head home for the Solstice celebration. Strange to think that he wouldn't be rejoining them afterwards. No longer a ship's captain. He'd been promoted.

A familliar voice spoke from just behind him. "Missing us already, sir?"

Starcrest turned around. "Paloic! Why are you still here? Don't you have a home to go to?"

Sargeant Paloic stepped forwards to stand before his senior officer. "I'm catching the train this evening, sir. Thought I'd just give the ship one last check over before I go."

"Good man. As dedicated and efficient as ever."

A thought occurred to the former Captain Starcrest. "I hope you don't mind, but I've put in a letter of recommendation that you be promoted. Who knows if anything will come of it, but maybe seeing as I am shortly to be the youngest Admiral ever someone might actually listen for once." He sighed. "It's frustrating to have over-entitled idiots waltzing straight into commissioned officers' roles, whilst men like yourself with ten times the talent languish in the lower ranks, all for want of a surname."

Sargeant Paloic seemed a little startled by his superior's high opinion. "I don't know what to say, sir. Do you truly think that highly of me?"

"Absolutely. We couldn't have done half of what we've achieved as a ship without you." Starcrest replied. "You spot what I'm trying to do and start organising behind the scenes before I've even told it to myself half the time. I am going to miss having you around to keep me in order."

"Aye, well. It's been a great few years serving with you too, sir."

Starcrest clapped Seargent Paloic on the shoulder. "Have a well-deserved holiday, and hopefully I will see you again soon."

"Thanks, and the same to you, sir!"

Seargent Paloic saluted his senior officer and wandered off to complete his inspection of the ship.

-= Part 2: Jorge and Porlev Paloic, Brothers =-

The morning mail delivery on the day after the Solstice brought half a dozen envelopes to the Paloic household.

Porlev Paloic gathered the handful of envelopes from the front door and glanced through them as he wandered back into the kitchen.

"'Sargeant J. Paloic.' - this one's for you, Jorge" he said, handing one particularly fat envelope sealed with the official mark of the Turgonian Imperial Army to his younger brother.

Jorge grimaced. "Looks like orders to me. Just what I need to make my hangover worse." He opened the envelope and started to read through the letter inside.

Porlev stacked the rest of the letters on a tray along with a large mug of tea and a plate of scrambled eggs with toasted flatbread. "I'll just pop this up to Sofia. The baby woke her up at 3 a.m. again this morning. Can't wait til he finally starts sleeping through the night."

"Dear ancestors. Starcrest actually came through!" Jorge suddenly exclaimed. "I am to report to Lord Commander Hollowcrest himself, no less, to discuss a new posting!" He frowned. "I'll need to get packed up now so I can catch the midday train..."

"You've time to finish your breakfast first before packing, at least?" Porlev asked, tray in hand, from the doorway.

"Barely." Jorge downed the rest of his mug of tea in one go, and grabbed his recently-washed uniform from the clothes horse by the stove.

* * *

Half an hour later, Jorge was standing in the kitchen in full uniform, with a packed kit bag at his side. "Time to go, then. I'll be back in a few days, hopefully."

"Go get that promotion. Do us proud." said Porlev, shaking his brother's hand.

"I will." Jorge replied.

"Good luck, and a safe journey!" said Sofia, stepping into the room, cradling her infant son in her arms.

"Thanks." Jorge kissed her on the cheek, then straightened his cap and smiled down at his young nephew. "Uncle Jorge will bring you back a present from the capital, little man."

The baby gurgled and smiled back up at him.

-= Part 3: Porlev and Juris, Father and Son =-

Porlev Paloic slammed his hand on the table. "Juris, I forbid you to join up. I already lost my brother to the military. I won't lose my son too."

Juris glared back at him mulishly. "I am of age, you can't tell me what to do! I'll not lose my lungs to the dust in the mines like grandfather, nor will I spend my life in a factory like you. I want to see the world."

"Oh, Juris," said Porlev, "The military will chew you up and spit you out. You're too young to remember your Uncle Jorge. He went away full of hope and pride, on the promise of a commission. But he came back from the capital a broken man. When he returned, he could not sleep. He took to drinking himself into a stupor every evening."

Porlev closed his eyes, and looked pained. "All I know of what happened is what he said on that last evening. He hadn't slept properly for weeks. He couldn't stop weeping. He told me 'I was ordered to do something terrible, Porlev. And like a fool, I obeyed. Every time I close my eyes, I see her face. And what will become of the poor child?' An hour later he took his military-issue gun and shot himself through the head."

"I won't make the same mistake." said Juris. "I won't try to rise above my station. I'll see the world as a private and not seek advancement."

-= Part 4: Cousins =-

Juris Paloic was standing guard on the deck of the Imperial Battleship Intrepid when the Imperial Assassin came on board.

Clad in black and festooned with throwing knives and other weapons, he had strode confidently up the gangway and waved an official travel warrant under the nose of the lieutenant on duty. The lieutenant had grimaced, but was unable to gainsay the Lord Commander's official seal, and had sent him on into the ship to find a berth for the journey.

Juris had only caught a short glimpse of the man's face, but it had nearly stopped his heart with shock. Save for the blond hair and eyebrows, it was almost the twin of the one he himself saw in the mirror of a morning when shaving.

The similarity did not go unnoticed amongst his shipmates, either. News of the eerie similarity spread like wildfire through the ship. Juris endured the jokes with an outward smile, but inwardly he could not stop thinking about his father's tale of his uncle's last hours.

How his uncle had been coerced into doing something terrible, involving a woman. How the assassin looked to be close to him in age, as well as looks.

By the time his duty shift ended that evening, Juris had convinced himself of the possibility that they were indeed related. He just needed to find the courage to talk to the man.

And so, clutching a bottle of brandy in one hand and a pair of cups in the other, Juris went in search of the assassin's berth.

* * *

The assassin was sat on his cot, cleaning and sharpening his knives. He glanced up momentarily as Juris entered the room, but otherwise ignored him.

Juris put the cups on the table and held up the bottle. "Brandy?" he said, nervously.

The assassin shook his head. "No."

"Ah, okay." Juris poured himself a large measure and drank most of it down in one go. "If my guess is correct, you are 20 years old, and your birthday is sometime around the autumn equinox."

That got the assassin's attention. He put down his knife and cloth, and stood up. Glaring directly at Juris, arms crossed. "How so?"

"I believe we are cousins. Let me tell you about my Uncle Jorge..."

The assassin stood in silence whilst Juris told the story of his uncle's promotion and suicide. Once Juris finished speaking, he spoke his turn.

"I was never told who my parents were, only that they were both dead. So I can neither confirm nor deny your theory. Your dates do fit, however."

"So the possibility still stands." Juris replied.

The assassin shrugged. He sat down on his cot again, and took up his cloth and knife.

Taking this lack of response as a dismissal, Juris downed the rest of his brandy, gathered his cups and left.

* * *

After the young soldier had taken his leave, Sicarius remained lost in thought. He had never known his parents, and whilst it was a pleasant fantasy to imagine his father having been Admiral Starcrest's trusted subordinate, it made no difference to his life whether it was true or not.

In the end, ideas such as this could only act as distractions. Distractions were not to be encouraged. They could easily prove fatal, he had always been taught.

He put the story from his mind and went back to cleaning his knives.


End file.
